


Hide and Seek, Cry and Weep

by ThePrincePeach



Series: The corpse in the corner begins to weep at what was taken from him. [2]
Category: Five Nights at Freddy's
Genre: Blood, Blood and Gore, Canonical Character Death, Character Death, Corpse Desecration, Dissociation, Ghosts, Gore, Graphic Description, Graphic Description of Corpses, Gross, Haunting, Minor Injuries, Murder, Other, Past Torture, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Psychological Trauma, Shock, Sorta some comfort at the end, The Gang Finds a Corpse, Trauma, Vomiting, corpse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-04
Updated: 2020-07-04
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:42:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25061812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThePrincePeach/pseuds/ThePrincePeach
Summary: The corpse they found that Summer, who found him, and what happened to him afterwards.
Series: The corpse in the corner begins to weep at what was taken from him. [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1815121
Comments: 2
Kudos: 23





	Hide and Seek, Cry and Weep

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This takes place a few days before "Sleep Tight", you know the gist - creepy, crusty, corpsey! 
> 
> I tried a new format with this, aka the time noting - I think it adds on to the feel of trauma, as 'time slowing down' or 'time speeding up' feeling that happens. Tell me what you think about it, about my au, about anything in the comments! Thank you! ♥

1:23 AM. 

His finger clicked through the tablet button rapidly, only to pause, and realize that something looked… Wrong… On one of the screens. The Parts and Services room. Mike frowned and thought for a moment if he even wanted to look back at the misleading screen, knowing that he would regret it if he did – but would regret it if he didn’t either. Knowledge was a dangerous, deadly thing at Freddy Fazbear’s, anyway. 

The teen looked down at the cast on his leg before turning his gaze back to the tablet with his finger poised, hesitantly, over the back button. He was working a night shift with Jeremy that night, but the older man had stepped out to use the restroom. Mike nibbled on his lower lip, wary of the bandages, and stared at the tablet with unease. Something was wrong with the previous screen. Something wasn’t meant to be there or something had moved or something was in there or something wasn’t in there, he only realized something was just wrong the moment after he clicked off the screen to view another. His finger retracted and pulled into a loose fist above the tablet screen, thinking again as he nearly pressed the back button but decided against it. Mike set the tablet down on the desk and let the screen dim to black, folding his hands in his lap to keep them from fidgeting. Jeremy would know what to do. Wait for Jeremy, wait for Jeremy, wait for Jeremy. 

1:30 AM 

Jeremy still wasn’t back and the idea that it was Jeremy in the Parts and Services room made Mike’s anxiety further grow. He held his fingers tightly, tapping one against the knuckles just to remind himself where he was. Who he was. What he was. Mike should repaint his nails soon, most likely when they heal, or more likely when that missing nail grows back. Do missing nails grow back? He can’t remember. He doesn’t want to remember. He wants to look at his hands again and not be so disgusted that he covers them up again. He doesn’t want to see those scars. He doesn’t want to see those bruises. He doesn’t want to see what’s on that screen. He doesn’t want to look at the Parts and Services room. He doesn’t want to sit here alone anymore. He doesn’t want his hands to keep trembling like this. 

Mike grabs the tablet and urgently flicks the back button a few times, first to light up the screen, next to see inside the room. He puts the tablet right back down before the screen even fully lights up and he holds his head up with his battered hands. The unknown is killing him. 

1:32 AM 

Mike picked the tablet back up and closed his eyes tightly to avoid looking at the screen he so desperately wanted to see. He counted to ten in his head, then twenty, then thirty, then started again at ten. One, two, three, sa, ooh, kook, chil, eight, nine, ship. He can’t help it, he peeks open an eye to look down at the screen and is immediately met with the eyes of something staring back. Lots of eyes. 

And Freddy. 

All the spare heads were turned to the camera, some even had eyes put into them to stare, unblinking. Others had no eyes, empty sockets more akin to nightmarish voids that despite being hollow – stared on. Mike could feel their gaze boring in through the camera, through the screen, paying no attention to the sunken Freddy suit left on the table. Come to think of it, Mike couldn’t recall seeing Freddy that evening – was he being worked on? There would have been a memo if that was the case, right? Maybe Jeremy got the memo. Something was sticking out of Freddy’s eye sockets. Mike squinted against the grainy view the screen gave as he just stared at the little white dots against Freddy’s cheeks. 

Where was Jeremy? 

1:36 AM 

Where was Jeremy? Where was Jeremy? Where was Jeremy? Where was Jeremy? Where was Jeremy? Where was Jeremy? Jeremy please, please please please please please please, don’t leave me alone. Jeremy please don’t leave me alone don’t leave me alone don’t leave me alone please Jeremy Jeremy Jeremy Jeremy Jeremy 

1:38 AM 

Mike stood in the hallway with his crutches tucked under his arms, gripping the padded handles until his knuckles were white. His eyes locked firmly straight ahead, making his way quickly but carefully to the Parts and Services room. He passed Pirate’s Cove and barely took notice of the curtains being parted by an inch or so for a glowing, golden eye to watch him pass, and the silvery gleam of his hook to peek out past the curtain. He didn’t notice that Bonnie and Chica watching him either, their heads slowly turning as he exited the hallway and passed through the main room. Mike stared at the Parts and Services door, his hand reaching out for the knob as he crept closer. 

He flung the door open before he could think over what could happen, the scent of something disgustingly sweet and something like rotting meat blasted out of the room like a wall. Mike took a small step back with a loud gag, clamping his hand over his mouth to keep his lunch down. He looked back at the room and realized it was so much darker than the camera showed previously. He couldn’t see. He didn’t want to see inside there. Mike bit down harder on his lower lip and his hands trembled once more as he hesitantly reached in and began patting the wall inside to find the light switch. He stepped in further. And further. And further. 

The door closed silently behind him.

1:42 AM

Jeremy shuffled back into the office, leaning on his cane, and chuckled out a sheepish, “Sorry that took so long, kid, the pipes get rusty the older ya’ get, ya’ know.” He stopped himself when he realized the office was empty. The older man blinked a few times as he glanced over the small office; no kid, no crutches, the chair pushed out and near the lockers. Jeremy frowned as he stepped into the office further and peeked out from the opposite doorway, calling out, “Kid? Mike?” No response. “Maybe he went to the bathroom and I didn’t see him.” 

He scratched his head before his eyes landed on the tablet, tilting his head slightly when he saw the screen just now going dark. Jeremy picked up the familiar device and pressed a button to light it back up. He sat back in the office chair as he glanced over the empty party room, then across Pirate’s Cove and earned a chuckle seeing the fox leaning out from between the curtains. 

“Huh… Weird.” He commented upon further noticing that Foxy wasn’t looking at the camera, or even down to the hallway, but looking the other way. Jeremy rubbed his stubbly chin as he tried to not stare for too long, then flipped to the next screen. The main stage. Bonnie and Chica were staring at the side – and not at the camera. Jeremy sat up a little straighter when he even noticed the cupcake staring to the side. He traced his fingertip from Pirate’s Cove to the mainstage, realizing in surprise that the animatronics were looking at seemingly the same thing. His thoughts went to Mike. Searching through the cameras to find him, his eyes scanned over every movement he could see. 

He pressed the Parts and Services button. 

1:45 AM 

The flashlight clicked on and a beam of light ate through the darkness to shine at the door. He held the tool with both hands to keep from dropping it. Mike tried the doorknob the moment the door closed, panicking when he found the door jammed shut. He threw his shoulder into it with a loud yell, then a louder yell when he tried again. He yelled for Jeremy as he slammed his fist against the door. It couldn’t be locked. There wasn’t even a lock for this door, was there? Mike can’t remember a lock. He shook his head and began to tremble. 

He was alone in the dark. Again. 

“Jeremy!” Mike cried out, cupping his hand around his mouth to further his voice. “Jeremy!!” The scent was overpowering in the little room, Mike could feel his stomach churning and his throat tightening; the smell so bad he could taste it in the back of his throat. The flashlight scanning against the wall until he found the light switch and he urgently scooted forward to flick the switch. Nothing. He rapidly flicked the switch a few more times as he felt panic surge up inside of him. Why weren’t the lights working? Why this room? Why? What did Mike do to deserve this? Mike was a good kid; he had good grades, he worked hard, he was respectful most of the time, he was kind, he was a good person. And yet he was forced to see his best friend… 

He quickly glanced around the room with the flashlight, tensing up when he came to see the spare heads were turned again. They were staring directly at him. Their eyes were blank and yet filled with a curious type of sadism; like a child tearing the wings of a fly. Mike’s hands trembled as his own eyes locked on with a Bonnie head laying on the table. The eyes bored into his very core, into his soul, gripping around his heart and squeezing squeezing squeezing until Mike was sure it would pop under its force. He didn’t realize he was holding his breath until he felt something buzz past his cheek – rushing to swat at it. A fly. He let out a panicked laugh. Of course, it was a fly. The pizzeria had some flies, so naturally, there was a fly or two back here. There were a lot of flies. He was finally picking up on the buzzing in the room, more than ‘some flies’ that he believed was so. Dozens of them, perhaps. Staring at the Bonnie head long enough, he noticed the puddle it was sitting in, a puddle large enough to be dripping off the side of the table and onto the floor. A brown, crimson puddle that was soaking into the blue-purple fur of the rabbit. Mike slowly reached his beam to the source; leaking from the Freddy suit. His heart sank. 

1:50 AM

‘Uh, hey, do me a favour.’ 

The beam followed upwards and to the back of the bear suit, Mike noticed the deep brown stains violating and clumping his fur. More red was spilt out over the metal lips of the suit, most of it dried into a crusty and congealing mess that didn’t look like it ever belonged in something living. 

‘Maybe sometime, uh, you could check inside those suits in the back room?’

Mike walked slowly around the corner of the table, not noticing yet the congealed puddle on the floor. He stepped in it, leaving a single, sticky, murky red shoeprint in his wake. His heart pounded in his chest, pumping icy blood through his veins and chilling him to the core. The flashlight’s beam raised to the head of Freddy, staring straight ahead in a horrifying silence. Flies around the head, dipping in and out of the dropped jaw and presumably empty sockets. 

The kid was short, the bear was tall, and already taller due to sitting on the table. Mike leaned up ever so carefully with a quivering hand, leaning further and further until he was standing on his toes with his cast a bit off the ground. He knew better than to reach inside the mouth of an animatronic, there were safeguards the employees knew to grab onto in case of emergency. 

‘I'm gonna’ to try to hold out until someone checks. Maybe it won’t be so bad.’

He reached up further and further, his fingers brushing against the lower lip of the bear, sliding in and grabbing ahold. Avoid the teeth, avoid the jaws, avoid the mechanisms. Since the last ‘incident’, safety precautions were put into place. The scent was so repugnant, Mike could feel his lunch bubbling up in the back of his throat. He gripped the lower lip and slowly pulled it down. A moment too late, he realized there was a wash of something thick, sticky, and chunky splattering on his fingers. The jaw opened, the pool of whatever that was residing in the mouth of Freddy came spilling out. Mike barely had time to close his eyes before it came splashing out and over his face, his hair, his shoulders, trailing down his hand and arm. It was cold. It was thick, hard and soft little chunks stuck to him before falling in heavy, oily globs down his shoulders and chest. He felt it in his mouth, the taste thick and bitter and rotten. 

His eyes cracked open slowly when he heard it dribble onto the floor. 

‘Uh, I, I always wondered what was in all those empty heads back there.’

1:50 AM

‘You know...’

1:50 AM

‘oh, no—’ 

1:51 AM

Mike stared silently. 

8:45 AM

“Mike, I, I don’t know if I can do this…” Paul mumbled as the teen handed over his clipboard. The man took it, nervously glancing over the various papers and sticky notes. “… What if I mess this up? What if I ruin the business?” 

“If Freddy’s wasn’t ruined with the last bits of shits that rolled out, you really think you can ruin this place?” Mike chuckled, reaching up to adjust the familiar little bowtie the other man wore. The blonde, naturally, lowered himself to give some ease to Mike. “You seriously think that in one day, your fuck ups can somehow stand over what’s already happened?” Paul glanced down at the other’s hands as they finished off the bowtie adjusting, then smiled, tiredly, at the youth. 

“I… I-I guess not… Not in a day, at least.” 

“Yeah, give it a week or two. You can’t fuck it up that much.” Mike replied before pausing and noticing the other man staring down at him, smiling his warm smile, his freckled cheeks glowing with a happy pink tint. Mike smiled back. “What?” 

“What? Nothing. What-what?” Paul chuckled sheepishly and stood back straight after a moment. “I’m just, just, really lucky to have you as a friend, is all. And soon to be brother-in-law. We’re practically family anyway.” He laughed as he rubbed the back of his neck. Mike chuckled and tilted his head slightly, staring up at the taller man again. 

“Don’t be a sap. We open in like, fifteen minutes. You got a lot of shit to do, Mr Manager!” Paul was still looking down at him. His smile was always so friendly, so warm, like honey in nice tea. 

“Thank you, Mike.” 

2:13 AM

The bloody slime that had oozed out from the maw of Freddy in stringy beads and connected to Mike’s cheek and temple as the teen stared in a shocked silence up at Paul. It had sunken into his clothes, invaded his pores, chilling him to the soul as if it was ice. His face was a horrible pale, his tongue swollen and blue and peeking out from equally swollen lips, the cheeks hollow and eyes sunken in. His eyes were barely connected in the sockets, the optic nerve stretched painfully so the eyeballs were hanging out from the suit’s eyes. His once baby blue eyes now fish-like and cloudy grey, unstarring in two different directions, exposed to the outside for so long they resembled soggy balls of meat before real eyes. Mike couldn’t believe those eyes ever belonged in Paul’s skull, he stared at those eyes for so long; those eyes that glittered when Paul laughed too hard, those eyes that gleamed when he noticed his friends, those eyes that sparkled when he laid eyes on his finance. Those dead, cold, silver eyes. 

Mike wasn’t sure how long he was staring, feeling globs of blood dribble past Freddy’s teeth and followed his jaw, then landing on either himself or the suit or the floor below. He didn’t notice the door to the room being pounded on, yelling and screaming from the other side. Mike didn’t notice the door swinging open as Jeremy stumbled through, gripping his cane with both hands in a position that easily showed that /he/ broke down the door. He didn’t notice Jeremy rushing towards him, scooping him up in his arms, and burying his face into his chest. He could still see a glimpse of the suit as Jeremy urgently moved them away from it, and if he stared closely. 

Closely. 

closer 

closer 

Paul was smiling. 

2:32 AM 

Jeremy had moved Mike as quickly and carefully as he could, nearly running with the smaller teen in his arms. He sat the youth on the counter of the kitchen, keeping him so close in his arms, hugging him so tightly. Whispering, mumbling, whimpering, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I couldn’t get you in time, I’m so sorry. Jeremy was always so strong and comforting, and yet now – he just felt like another body. How long until Jeremy is a body in those suits? How long until /Mike/ was? Mike was barely blinking, barely breathing, just staring forward with unfocused eyes clouded in something not quite aware. Jeremy pulled back to look down at his face, wincing when he finally got a look at his face.

Brown, and red, and grey, splatters of oily slime and globs of something not quite solid but not quite liquid. Jeremy could see it on his lips, in his nose, over his lashes and brows, on his ears, in his hair – the smell was the worst part. He bit back a gag as he looked over the youth’s face, hands awkwardly hovering above it, unsure if he should even touch him. The older man, as delicately as he could, brushed off the slime from Mike’s cheeks and under his eyes with his thumbs as he cupped his jaw. He wiped off his forehead to avoid more leaking over his eyes. Jeremy, uncaring, wiped his now filthy hands on his newly stained shirt. He then noticed his hands and his frown deepened. Mike was gripping the flashlight so tight, his knuckles were flushed a pale white, and his nails were digging into his palm hard enough for blood to trickle down his fingers. Ever so gently lifting Mike’s hand in both of his, Jeremy carefully pulled the flashlight free from the other’s grip and set it aside after clicking it off. 

“I’ll, I’ll be right back, o-okay? I’ll be right back.” Jeremy mumbled in a soothing, yet frantic tone. He took a small step back, then another, then hurriedly peeked out from the doorway to look out into the hallway. Chica and Bonnie had their eyes locked on the hallway, on Jeremy. He didn’t dare look to Pirate’s Cove. He returned as promised and grabbed a pair of clean rags, then shuffled to the sink. “Let’s get you cleaned up, kid…” 

2:45 AM 

“You found what?” 

“… P… Paul. We found, the kid, the kid found, he’s… Oh god, Paul. He’s in the suit.” Jeremy’s shaking hand smashed a half-smoked cigarette into the nearby ashtray, sighing out the grey smoke afterwards. “He’s in the suit.” 

“… Does anyone else know?” 

“N-No. Just us, and you, and no one else.” The man sniffled. 

“Oh, Jeremy, are… Are you crying?” 

“No, I’m, I’m not I… Please, please just come. I left the kid alone in the kitchen and, and he ain’t looking too good. He’s covered in this, this, ulg. I don’t even know.”

“M-Mike? Oh dear lord, is he okay? What’s wrong with him?” 

“Please just come here, just come here. I-I don’t know what to do. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I—” Jeremy was breaking down, rushing to wipe tears away in his eyes. “Oh Paul, god, god Paul, I-I shouldn’t have… I shouldn’t have, have l-left him alone. I-I-I could, I…” 

“Shhh, shh, Jeremy. It’s okay, it is okay… Go with Mike, get your things, and wait together. I’ll be there soon. When I get there, you two can go home. Think you two can manage until then?” 

“I, yes, I do. We can.” 

“Alright, give me about… Ten minutes. Or so. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“Thank you, Mr Afton.”

3:01 AM 

Jeremy was careful as he led Mike to the front doors, the youth leaning into his crutches that the gracious Mr Afton rescued for him. He had brought Mike and Jeremy a spare uniform shirt to change into, urging Jeremy to clean Mike up as best as he could and make sure he showers when he’s home. Who knows what could have been in that concoction of rot, he reasoned earlier as he hugged Mike to his chest, rubbing over his back in soothingly slow circles. Mr Afton always had the warmest hugs. 

Mr Afton told them to get some sleep, take as long as they need to come back to work, that they were always a member of the Fazbear Family even if they decided not to come back. He smiled so warmly, so comfortingly, following them out. 

“Thank you, Mr Afton,” Jeremy mumbled as the man hurried forward to hold open the front door for them. The duo shuffled to the man’s old truck and Jeremy helped the youth into the passenger seat. He gave him a small smile before closing the door. He sighed and looked to Afton, “I’m taking him to my place for the night. His, his brother isn’t home for most nights.” Mr Afton nodded and reached over, gently holding Jeremy’s upper arm. 

“If you need me, Jeremy, if either of you do, I’m right here. I’m just a phone call away. Anything at all, alright?” The older man offered, making Jeremy tear up again. Mr Afton took notice and his smile dropped, opening his arms to him. Jeremy eagerly stepped up, hugging the man close. Jeremy towered over everyone, Mr Afton included, causing the smaller man to get a bit lost in his chest. 

Mr Afton noticed Mike staring at them. 

He smiled, 

Raised his finger to his lips, 

And gave Mike a silent, unnoticed ‘shhh’. 

3:10 AM 

Mr Afton gave them another wave as the truck pulled out of the parking lot and down the street. His smile dropped moments after he closed the front doors behind him. Fucking crybabies waking him up in the middle of the night. How tedious. He folded his arms behind his back and strode through the darkened entrance hall, past the main stage – only pausing to send a sharp glare up at the rabbit and chicken who stared forward without any interest or life. He turned back forward and headed straight for the Parts and Services room. 

He stood in the doorway and hummed. 

“I know you’re here,” his head tilted slightly, “Are you going to turn the lights back on, or just keep hiding in the fuckin’ dark?” The lights, hesitantly, flickered back on as Afton straightened his head. Good, listening already. Only took a bit of time in the ‘game room’ to get him to wise up. He looked over at the Freddy suit with a scowl and hummed a simple song, a familiar song, feeling him hide in the corner. Ignoring him, Afton climbed up onto the table, planted the sole of his shoe between the shoulders of the suit, and gave it a swift shove off the table. The suit fell with a loud, wet clattering. The man hopped down and paused, glancing down to see the puddle now splattered under his shoes. He groaned and rolled his eyes. “I just got these cleaned, godammit.”

As if to punish the corpse for its own mess, Afton was uncaring as he kicked and pushed and shoved the suit towards the basement door. With another swift kick, the suit was tumbling down the old stairs and to the hard, cold, basement floor – each knock against the stairs left another splatter of rotten, congealed blood that scattered so beautifully. Feeling his eyes on Afton, the man had a smirk as he reached down to wipe up a bit of the blood with his fingertip, popping it into his mouth a moment after. 

His smirk grew when he heard weeping from the basement. 

He closed the door with his heel, locked it, and hummed as he walked out of the room – the taste of rotten blood playing over his tongue, it was so horribly bitter but so wonderfully worth it. 

4:56 AM 

Jeremy blinked slowly, looking down at the teen held close in his arms, then looked forward again as he rested his chin atop his head. Curled up on Jeremy’s couch, Mike had showered and Jeremy had put the new clothes in the wash – letting Mike borrow some of his more comfortable clothes. They’d be clean by the time Mike’s brother would come and get him. Mike hadn’t said anything, hadn’t done anything Jeremy didn’t lead him in or tell him to do. It was odd to Jeremy seeing someone so loud, so rebellious as Mike so silent, so docile almost. His mind was still racing with thoughts, with images of the body of his dearest friend in that suit. He closed his eyes tightly to keep from crying again. 

Everything will be okay, he thought to himself as he squeezed Mike in his arms. 

Everything will be okay. 

Everything will be okay.


End file.
